In the 1960s, NASA’s Apollo program aimed to send humans to the Moon and bring them back safely to Earth. To achieve this goal, astronauts needed extensive training, including generic instruction in geology, which included classroom work and field trips. However, once the crew was designated that had a very good chance of actually walking on the lunar surface and collecting rock and soil samples, NASA realized that specialized instruction in geology was necessary.
On Feb. 24, 1969, the two prime moonwalkers Armstrong and Aldrin and their backups Lovell and Haise participated in their only trip specifically dedicated to geology training. The geology field exercise in west Texas was near Sierra Blanca and the ruins of Fort Quitman, about 90 miles southeast of El Paso.
Accompanied by a team from MSC’s Geology Branch, the Apollo 11 astronauts practiced sampling the variety of rocks present at the site to obtain a representative collection, skills they would need to choose the best sample candidates during their brief excursion on the lunar surface.
The Importance of Geology Training for Astronauts
Geology is the study of the Earth, its rocks, and the processes that shape them. It is a crucial discipline for space exploration because the Moon and other planets are made of rocks, and their geological history provides clues about their formation and evolution.
By studying the rocks on the Moon, astronauts could gather important information about the early history of the solar system and the processes that shaped it. Therefore, it was essential that astronauts had specialized instruction in geology before embarking on the Apollo missions.
The Apollo Program Geology Training Program
The Apollo Program’s Geology Training Program was designed to provide astronauts with the necessary knowledge and skills to identify and collect samples of rocks and soil on the lunar surface. The program consisted of several components, including classroom instruction, field trips, and training exercises.
Classroom Instruction
The classroom instruction provided astronauts with a basic understanding of geology, including the study of rocks and minerals, geological processes, and the geologic history of the Moon. Astronauts learned how to identify different types of rocks and minerals, how they formed, and what they could reveal about the Moon’s history.
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Field Trips
The field trips provided astronauts with hands-on experience in geology. They visited geological sites on Earth that were similar in composition and structure to the Moon’s surface, such as volcanic regions, impact craters, and sedimentary basins. By observing and collecting samples of rocks and soil, astronauts learned how to recognize different types of rocks and minerals, how they formed, and what they could reveal about the Moon’s history.
Training Exercises
The training exercises provided astronauts with practical experience in collecting samples of rocks and soil on the lunar surface. They practiced using specialized tools, such as rock hammers, tongs, and scoops, to collect and handle the samples. They also learned how to document the samples’ location, appearance, and other characteristics, using notes, sketches, and photographs.
The Geology Field Exercise
The geology field exercise in west Texas was the culmination of the Apollo Program’s Geology Training Program. It was a simulated lunar mission, where astronauts practiced collecting samples of rocks and soil under conditions similar to those they would face on the Moon.
They wore bulky space suits and carried heavy backpacks, simulating the reduced mobility and strength they would experience in the low-gravity environment of the Moon. They also had to work under time pressure, simulating the limited time they would have to collect samples during their brief excursion on the lunar surface.
The geology field exercise in west Texas was a crucial component of the Apollo Program’s Geology.
Both Buzz Aldrin and his Apollo 11 crewmate Neil Armstrong spoke highly of their geological experience.
Exploring the Moon: The Importance of Geology Training for Astronauts
At the beginning of March 1964, the Apollo 11 astronauts participated in plenty of geology field trips.
By the time they were done, they had learned that rocks could tell a story that was billions of years in the making.
Apollo 11 to collect geological samples
NASA required the crew of Apollo 11 to collect geological samples from the Moon. These are the famous words from Buzz Aldrin’s book “Return to Earth” from 1973 states “Geology opened my eyes to the immensity of time.”
Apollo 11 astronauts spent 25%, or a full quarter, of their final year before blasting off to the moon.
Neil and Buzz were studying geology, visiting sites like Sierra Blanca where they could learn about geology, their rocks and minerals, and the formations that they should look for when they’re on the moon.
July 2-8, 1967. In the picture: Neil Armstrong (2), Jack Lousma (3), Bjarni Benediktsson (4), Karl Rolvaag (5), Ron Evans (6), Harrison Schmitt (7).
Credit: Sverrir Pálsson.
It was meant to introduce the astronauts to geologic concepts and to give the crew assigned to specific missions specific training in the types of observations they might expect to make on the Moon.
Realistic geological training
To make Apollo 11 crew’s training as realistic as possible, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin trained at places right here on Earth that looked eerily comparable to the topography of the Moon.
In July and October of 1967, NASA was on a mission to turn a 500-foot-by-500-foot site just outside of Flagstaff, Arizona, into a mirror image of a portion of the moon’s surface.
Loaded with tons of TNT and ammonium nitrate, NASA went with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to explode craters into this swath of land.
(U.S. Geological Survey Astrogeology Science Center via Associated Press).
It was chosen for its many layers of volcanic embers, which approximated the look and feel of the moon’s surface.
Lunar Rock Samples
Because one of the main focuses of the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon was to collect lunar samples, the crew operated jointly with geologists on how to find and analyze rock samples.
Credit: Felicia Fonseca/Associated Press.
One place where the crew did field training was in the Grand Canyon.
For two days in March 1964, the crew acquired basic geological principles. Such as how to recognize and collect different types of rocks.
Nevada National Security Site
Of all the test sites that the crew visited, in recordings from their mission to the moon, the team cited the Nevada National Security Site (also known as the Nevada Test Site) as the most beneficial to their training.
The training site located just east of Death Valley National Park would become a recurring place for Apollo astronauts to train. It was regarded by geologists to be “an ideal training site.”
Volcanic locations
Apollo 11 crew also explored ancient volcanic formations that closely resembled the surface of the moon, including the Timber Mountain caldera.
Most of the Apollo 11 fieldwork was done at sites over the course of a day or two.
But the crew of Apollo 11 spent a significant amount of time in January 1965 training on the ground in Hawaii thanks to its abundance of volcanoes.
Four years later, they would return to Hawaii again upon completion of their lunar mission, returning in the Pacific Ocean by the Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia.
Credit: NASA.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and please feel free to browse my website for more interesting facts about the Mission to the Moon, and especially Apollo 11.
To learn more about the first landing on the moon, check out our article, First Apollo Mission to Land on the Moon: A Historic Milestone.